


workplace rumor mill

by extracynical



Series: to build a home [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sam POV, but they're high school teachers here, i don't know how to tag i'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8925481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extracynical/pseuds/extracynical
Summary: The first time Sam started hearing about the rumors, he should’ve talked to Steve about it. But instead, he opted to keep his mouth shut.He’d heard Maria Hill and Sharon Carter talking about Steve when he was making his way to the chemistry lab, and at first it didn’t really surprise him because those two always talk about Steve, but then he heard Bucky’s name and his ears suddenly perked up.“I saw them being handsy with each other when I passed by Steve’s classroom. I swear, it was them... It was cute and all but—““Isn’t Steve married already?”“Yeah… And I heard James is married as well. Do you think they’re…you know…”“I don’t know, but they sure are getting cozy around each other.”Sam remained quiet after hearing about it, because he knew that Steve isn’t someone who would do shit like that. Steve’s a gentleman, he wouldn’t risk his reputation and own marriage for something as petty as that. He refused to believe that Steve was capable of doing something as gross as cheating. But boy oh boy, was his mind about change…





	

**Author's Note:**

> what's up my dudes. this is the first time i've ever written about these two, so please spare me. lol. anyway, i hope you enjoy it as much i did while writing it. 
> 
> p.s. this is un-beta'd. so sorry for the grammatical errors and typos. :)

Steve Rogers never really talks about his personal life, is the thing.

Sam has known Steve for about a year now, and the guy never really talks about his life outside of work all that much, which Sam finds understandable, but he also knows that Steve can be a chatty kind of guy to those he considers as close friends, which is actually kind of _not a lot._

Steve is an Arts teacher, so it’s not much of a surprise when people starts getting the hint that he prefers to be left alone. He tends to be more reserved, and his physique helps him stay a bit lowkey. Well, most of the time. He has the mysterious kind of vibe going on for him, and Sam has gone to hell and back to break through Steve’s exterior walls. Sam and Clint had been the only ones, _the lucky ones_ (according to Romanoff), who got to know Steve as more than the Mysterious Arts Teacher™, and it really was a privilege to know the guy on a quite personal level.

Steve is a funny guy, once you get to know him. He may not be sociable, but he is a proper gentleman, Sam will give him that. He’s sarcastic but not in the rude kind of way. It’s really funny to see people who doesn’t know Steve quite well to be so thrown off when Steve makes a sarcastic comment. Sam feels like five years are being added to his life every time it happens. Also, the guy is hella smart. Probably one of the smartest guys Sam has ever come to know. Sam has never heard someone talk about the French revolution in gruesome detail as much as Steve did that one time in January. It was endearing, and he and Clint just kind of rolled with it. They enjoy Steve’s sarcastic remarks a bit too much when people try to rile him up and ask him some personal questions. They always seem to fail, and if Sam hadn’t done the same things himself, he would’ve laughed at them in their faces. Because if he’s being honest, he really wants to know more about Steve’s personal life, considering he’s probably the only friend he has at their school, besides Clint. But Steve just smirks and rolls his eyes whenever their nosy co-teachers ask him about his life. And one of the most frequently asked questions to Steve is, of course, whether he is single or not.

Now you see, the only thing that Sam knows about Steve’s life outside of work is that he is, in fact, _a married man_.

Sam can already hear the multiple groans and defeated sighs of the majority of the faculty members of their school ringing in his head all over again. Because even though Steve is such a reserved guy, his looks compensate for his _social skills_. Steve Rogers may be a bit scrawny and a bit smaller than the rest of the teachers in the campus, but the way he holds himself compensate for his built. The guy is good-looking, Sam can attest to that. So it’s really no wonder that almost everyone at school finds him attractive, if not a bit endearing. Tough luck for them, Steve already made an honest man of himself. But to be honest, Sam would’ve never guessed that Steve is married, if it wasn’t for Clint pointing out the gold ring resting on his finger. They never really asked about it, just considered it as a fact. Steve gives so little information about his personal life, so going to work with a gold band wrapped around his finger is pretty much the closest thing they have to a confirmation.

Needless to say, Steve Rogers has mastered the art of Privacy down to the core.

\---

“Some birdy told me that we got some fresh meat coming in next week.” Clint says, pulling up the chair next to Sam.

“He’s taking over Rumlow’s History class.” Sam says, slouching on his seat and cocking his head to look at Steve who’s sitting quietly next to him, too busy typing on his phone to participate in the conversation. Sam nudges his foot before saying, “You heard about it, right?”

Steve looks up from his phone and shrugs. “It’s hard not to. Everyone’s talking about it.”

Sam definitely heard about Brock Rumlow getting fired a week ago, but he’s just too busy doing more important things to actually find out the reason why. Rumlow is a damn asshole, that’s for sure. The guy is annoying as hell, and Sam couldn’t care less about his sorry ass.

“It’s been a long time coming to be honest.” Steve mutters under his breath, causing Clint to snort.

“You got that right.” Clint agrees. “Let’s just hope the new one’s not as bad as he is.”

“No one’s as bad as Rumlow.” Steve says, his lips quirking up a bit, before turning his attention back to his phone again. “He’s as bad as it gets.”

\---

Turns out, Rumlow really is as bad as it gets, because the new guy is a damn delight.

James Barnes is all bright eyes and enthusiasm, and Sam just met the guy a few days ago but he can already feel the positivity rubbing off on him. And it’s not even the obnoxious kind of enthusiasm, so that’s a plus. The guy is just fun to talk to and if it wasn’t for Banner interrupting, Sam would’ve talked to him the whole lunch period. Too bad Steve wasn’t around that much to meet him, too busy with the sudden renovation of the art studio.

Sam doesn’t see Barnes again until the end of the week. Everyone’s almost gone when Barnes enters the lounge, and boy does he look worn out. Sam feels sympathetic towards the guy. He knows the feeling.

“Hey, Barnes.” Sam greets, the moment Barnes steps into the room. “How’s the first week?”

“Come on, drop the Barnes. Call me Bucky.” _Bucky_ tells him, smiling tightly, before making his way towards Sam and patting him on the shoulder. “And god, everything is a mess. The guy before me fucked up the whole curriculum. The students are falling behind topics.” Bucky rambles while shaking his head in defeat as he sits on the chair next to Sam.

“That’s Rumlow for you.” Sam says. “Sorry about that man.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Fury already warned me about it during the interview.” Bucky shrugs, leaning back on his seat. “But man, I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“Tough luck… But hey, Clint and I are gonna grab a few drinks later this evening. Wanna join us?” Sam offers.

“Oh, that’s, uhm, that’s nice. But I—I can’t. Not tonight.” Bucky declines, shaking his head. “I have a date.”

“So you’re dating someone?” Sam asks with a smirk, completely intrigued. Hey, he’s not a saint. He lives off from the hot tea on the rumor mill. Sometimes. Maybe. Most of the time. Come on, give him a break.

“Married actually.” Bucky says, bringing up his left hand and showing Sam his gold wedding ring before grinning. And god damn, his smile is _blinding._

Sam whistles and pats him on the shoulder. “Wow, Barnes. I never pegged you for the married type. For how long now?”

“Three years going on four.” Bucky replies, still smiling.

“Grace Henderson is gonna be real disappointed.” Sam chuckles, shaking his head lightly. “She’s been eyeing you since you came here.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” Bucky shrugs, looking down fondly at his ring.

Sam knows the face of a man in love when he sees one.

\---

Sam doesn’t notice it until Clint points it out to him one Thursday noon.

“They’re getting close, aren’t they?” Clint says, before taking a bite on his sandwich.

“Who?” Sam asks, looking up and tilting his head sideways.

“Steve and Bucky.” Clint nods his head towards Steve and Bucky who are silently talking in the corner of the lounge. “Steve’s always eating lunch with him now.”

Now that Clint mentioned it…

“He rarely eats lunch with us anymore.” Sam breathes out, staring at Steve and Bucky, eyeing them for a moment. “Not for the past three weeks... Ever since—”

“Ever since Bucky arrived.” Clint finishes before shrugging.

It’s true. Steve has been hanging out with Bucky every lunch period ever since Bucky got hired. Sometimes he catches them deep in conversation during breaks, and Sam should be happy for Steve because he’s finally hanging out with other people other than him and Clint.

“It’s good though, isn’t it? Steve making new friends?” Clint says, lifting his sandwich back to his mouth to take a bite.

Sam sighs dramatically, looking away from the pair. “Our little Steve’s growing up.”

Clint almost chokes on his sandwich, causing Sam to laugh louder than he intended to. “Steve’s gonna deck you if he ever hears you calling him ‘little’. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“He wouldn’t.” Sam says, before looking back to Steve, who he finds is already narrowing his eyes at him.

Steve could, _would_ actually deck him. Totally. For sure. Without remorse.

Sam gulps, giving Steve the thumbs up before looking away.

\---

Sam is in the middle of picking out a Chemistry book from the bookshelf in the library when he overhears two guys arguing from the other side of the bookshelf. And as it turns out, it’s Steve and Bucky…

“I’m _fine_.” Steve says sternly, and Sam tries to take a peek between the books just in time to see Steve glare at Bucky.

“For now.” Bucky says in a low voice.

“I told you, I don’t need to carry that around all the time anymore.” Steve replies stubbornly.

“Yes you do. And when you actually do carry one, you’re always either leaving it in the art studio or in the faculty lounge. God, why won’t you just carry your inhaler like a normal asthmatic person would?”

Wait, Steve has asthma? Sam doesn’t know that.

“Buck, come on.” Steve rolls his eyes and folds his arms on his chest. “You’re exaggerating. I’m fine. I haven’t had an asthma attack in months.”

“Just because you haven’t had it in months doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen again.” Bucky says exasperatedly before sighing and rubbing his face with his hand. “We’ve been over this _so_ many times. Jesus… You’re gonna kill me one day, Rogers.”

“Bucky…” Steve starts but Bucky just pulls out an inhaler from his pocket and shoves it in Steve’s hand before patting him on the cheeks softly and walking away.

“Stupid Buck.” Steve mutters under his breath, his lips quirking up slightly into a small smile, before following Bucky outside the library.

Sam is confused.

What the hell just happened?

\---

Sam is about to bite onto his burrito when Clint comes up to their table and pulls up a chair next to him. Steve and Bucky just nods at Clint, before going back to eating their lunch in silence. It’s one of the rare occasions that Steve and Bucky decided to join them at their table for lunch.

Clint proceeds to talk about the mishap in the computer lab that morning, as he eats his shrimp dumplings with his spoon and fork. Clint doesn’t know how to use chopsticks, which Sam finds amusing because he basically lives off on Chinese food. Sam sneaks and grabs a few for himself when Clint isn’t looking, causing to Steve to roll his eyes at him. Bucky just smirks at him before biting into his chicken sandwich.

“Want some?” Clint offers some of his dumplings suddenly to Bucky.

“Thanks man, but I’m good.” Bucky refuses, smiling at him genuinely before taking a bite on his sandwich.

Clint looks at Steve and pushes his box of dumplings towards him in a silent offering. Steve loves shrimp dumplings. Sam bets that it’s just Clint’s love for Chinese food that rubbed off on him. Steve looks at Clint, raising his eyebrow and taking a glance at Bucky, before looking down on the box. Steve looks like he’s contemplating about something before shrugging and starts grabbing one dumpling from the box.

Bucky clears his throat, lightly slapping Steve’s hand from the box. Steve narrows his eyes at Bucky before rolling his eyes, and slumping back to his chair. Sam is sure that one of these days, Steve's eyes are gonna permanently stay at the back of his head for rolling them too much.

“You’re allergic.” Bucky says.

“But—“

“You’re allergic to dumplings?” Sam asks, putting down his burrito, looking back and forth at the pair.

“He’s allergic to shrimps.” Bucky states.

“But you love shrimp dumplings…” Sam and Clint say both at the same time, causing Steve’s ears and cheeks to heat up. Huh. Well, that’s new.

“Oh, really?” Bucky says slowly, turning his whole body to face Steve. “You _love_ shrimp dumplings?”

Steve brings his hand up to his mouth before clearing his throat. “Yeah, I do.”

“I see…” Bucky just squints his eyes at Steve, and Sam knows that look. He uses it himself with his sister all the damn time. It’s the _We’re Going To Talk About This Later_ look, and Bucky looks scary with that look. Sam decides to ignore why he just used that look on Steve, it’s too early for this if Sam’s being honest.

Their lunch period goes on without Clint noticing that Sam’s been taking some of his dumpling, and with Steve and Bucky just snickering while they try to eat their food.

Clint is in the middle of telling a story about his cat when he accidentally pushes his fork with his elbow and suddenly falls under the table.

He’s about to get it when Sam stops him since the fork fell closer to his feet. “I got it, man.”

Sam bends down to grab the fork from under the table when he sees Steve and Bucky’s feet tangled together. Sam’s eyes widen, grabbing the fork quickly before sitting back up again. He gives the fork to Clint before clearing his throat, trying his damn best to avoid looking at Steve and Bucky.

Sam is getting more confused…

He’s not sure if this is going to end well.

\---

After the Under The Table incident, Sam tries to be more alert and observant whenever Steve and Bucky is in the same room. They seem to _know_ each other on a personal level, despite the fact that Bucky has only just been here for a month. Sam’s cool about it…

Except maybe not.

He’s just protective of Steve, that’s all. Steve has been pretty much reserved the whole time he’s been teaching here, and seeing someone get close to him as fast as Bucky did, it’s quite alarming and a little bit of a blow to Sam’s ego especially when Steve had took the time to actually open up to him and then here comes Bucky Barnes just strutting his way through Steve’s life like it’s the easiest thing to do in the entire world. And it’s not to say that he doesn’t trust Bucky, don’t get him wrong. He trusts Bucky. He really does. He likes the guy. Bucky’s a cool dude, and Sam has no problem with him whatsoever. Except maybe the fact that he and Steve has gotten pretty close too damn quick.

Sam doesn’t know when it exactly happened, but Steve and Bucky has become _Steve and Bucky_ now. Which is cool, but they’re getting a bit _too_ comfortable around each other for two people who are, well, already _married_. Both of them are married and Sam knows that they’re not stupid to start cheating on their significant others, but their closeness is starting to make him think otherwise. It’s quite worrying but Sam is letting it all slide, because hey, Steve just got himself a new friend. And he ain’t much of a party pooper to ruin it for him.

\---

The first time Sam started hearing about the rumors, he should’ve talked to Steve about it. But instead, he opted to keep his mouth shut.

He’d heard Maria Hill and Sharon Carter talking about Steve when he was making his way to the chemistry lab and at first it didn’t surprise him because those two always talk about Steve, but then he heard Bucky’s name and his ears suddenly perked up.

“I saw them being _handsy_ with each other when I passed by Steve’s classroom. I swear, it was them.” Sharon had told Maria. “It was cute and all but—“

“Isn’t Steve married already?” Maria had asked. Which was actually a valid question.

“Yeah… And I heard James is married as well.” Sharon had nodded. “Do you think they’re…you know…”

“I don’t know, but they sure are getting cozy around each other.”

Sam remained quiet after hearing about it, because he knew that Steve isn’t someone who would do shit like that. Steve’s a gentleman, he wouldn’t risk his reputation and own _marriage_ for something as petty as that. He refused to believe that Steve was capable of doing something as gross as _cheating_. But boy oh boy, was his mind about to change…

Sam is making his way to his car after work the following Tuesday when he sees them…

Steve and Bucky are making their way to Bucky’s car, completely wrapped around each other. Bucky has his arm thrown around Steve’s shoulder, leaning in and whispering something on Steve’s ear, which results in Steve punching him in the gut, but laughing nonetheless. Sam _knows_ how Steve gets when other people invade his personal space, and it’s definitely not _that_.

Sam turns around, afraid that they’ll see him, and walks away. He may not know about Steve’s personal life, but this is gonna get Steve’s ass whooped by the school’s rumor mill. He’s sure of it. He needs to talk to Steve and Bucky about this before it all goes down to shit.

\---

He didn’t actually talk to them about it, is the thing.

Sam just keeps on being an observant friend, looking out for both of them, trying to divert anyone’s attention when they start to notice a bit too much. Because hey… They’re _just friends._ No need to be a worrywart. Friends can be _handsy_ with each other. Friends can hug each other from behind when they think no one’s looking, _platonically_. Sam doesn’t need to worry. Everything is going great… That is, until Clint walks up to him in his classroom, with a confused look on his face.

Sam waits for the last student to step out of his classroom before acknowledging Clint.

“Hey,” Sam greets, as he starts to shove his things inside his bag. “What’s up?”

“I—“ Clint looks back at the door before turning back to face Sam. “Are, uhm—Are Steve and Bucky like a thing now?”

“What?”

“Grace and I… We saw them kissing.”

“What?”

“We saw them kissing, in the art studio. We were talking about some tech problems. We were on our way to the computer lab and we walked passed Steve’s classroom, and well, you know the rest.”

“Are you sure it’s them?”

“Yeah…” Clint looks lost, and Sam can sympathize.

“Henderson saw them too?” Sam asks, before closing his bag, leaving it on the table, and slouching on his chair.

Clint nods before sitting on Sam’s desk (Sam hates it when people sit on desks, but he lets it slide for now), probably still confused about what he just saw.

“But Steve’s married.” Clint breathes out.

“And so is Bucky.” Sam adds.

“Grace is gonna talk. She has a huge ass crush on Bucky. She’s probably jealous as fuck right now.” Clint states, looking at Sam worriedly. “Steve and Bucky’s gonna be in deep shit.”

“We should probably talk to them. This is bad.” Sam shakes his head before standing up and grabbing his bag. “You think they’ll be in the lounge right now?”

“I don’t know. Steve usually just heads out when all his classes are over but it’s worth the try…”

So they head towards the faculty lounge, grateful that almost all the students are gone by now. Sam hopes that Steve’s still in the campus so he can smack him in the head real hard and tell him to stop being an idiot and get his shit together, but unfortunately, someone has beaten him up to it.

Sam and Clint arrives at the faculty lounge, just to see Grace, Maria, and Sharon circling around Steve as they look down on Steve, who’s uncomfortably sitting on a chair in the far corner of the lounge.

“Hey… Hey!” Sam raises his voice, entering the room and making his way towards the circle they formed around Steve, with Clint walking behind him. Steve looks at both of them with his eyebrows furrowed, probably confused as heck.

“What is this? Is this some kind of interrogation?” Steve asks, raising his eyebrow at all of them. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t. You’re—“ Clint starts but is suddenly interrupted by Grace scoffing.

“We all think you’re having an affair.” Grace blurts out, flipping her obnoxious blonde hair from her shoulder and crossing her arms on her chest. And boy, does Sam wants to smack her in the head.

“What?” Steve asks, completely baffled.

“You’re having an affair with a co-teacher. We saw you kissi—“

“What’s going on here?” someone from the door interjects just before Grace can finish her sentence.

Oh no.

It’s Bucky.

“What the fuck?” Bucky curses before walking past all of them and making his way to Steve. He places his hands on Steve’s shoulder, squeezing it before asking. “Are you alright? What’s going on?”

Steve looks up at Bucky before shaking his head lightly. “I don’t know. They just cornered me and accused me of having an affair.”

“What?” Bucky hisses, and Sam can see the anger already forming on Bucky’s face, and oh shit, this whole building’s about to go down. Bucky looks furious as fuck.

Bucky looks back at all of them, his expression hard as a rock, but his hands are still on Steve’s shoulder.

“See! That’s what we’re talking about!” Grace gestures her hand on them accusingly.

Sam is completely frozen on the spot. He doesn’t know how to help his friends. He probably should’ve talked them when he first heard about the rumors.

“What on earth are you even on about?” Bucky asks, looking bewildered.

“We saw you kissing.” Grace says, causing Maria and Sharon to gasp. Sam really wants to help, but he’s just too lost for words. He looks at Clint, but is only met with a shrug. “Steve’s already married. You should be ashamed of yourself.” Grace blurts out, narrowing her eyes at Bucky. Sam knows that she’s just boiling with jealousy right now because Bucky still has his hands on Steve.

“Are you joking?” Bucky deadpans. “Are you actually joking?”

Sam looks at Steve, already expecting him to deny the accusation, but Steve is just looking up at Bucky with his lips pursed, looking like he’s on the cusp of laughing.

There’s a moment of silence, before Steve and Bucky starts laughing like maniacs.

Sam is hella fucking confused.

“Why are you laughing?” Maria asks, confused at the pair’s reaction.

For two people who are just accused of having an affair, they sure as hell don’t react that way.

\---

“Wait,” Sam holds up his hand in front of them. “Hold up. Hold the fuck up.”

Sam, Clint, Steve, and Bucky are sitting in a corner booth at Domino's when Sam’s life has turned _even more_ upside down. After blowing Sam’s (and probably the other four people in the faculty lounge that afternoon’s) brain off when they admitted that _‘yes, we’re both married_ ’, and ‘ _yes we’re married to each other_ ’, Steve and Bucky offered to buy them dinner.

Sam still can’t fucking believe though. Y’all can just imagine what their faces must have looked like when the pair admitted to being married to each other, because now that Sam’s looking back at it, it’s pretty damn funny. Maria and Sharon had stammered before regaining their composure and apologized for not realizing sooner. Grace just freaking bolted without saying anything and Sam knew that Sharon and Maria would never let her live this down. Steve and Bucky, on the other hand, had apologized for not telling them sooner.

“We didn’t think it would be that much of a deal.” Steve had shrugged, as he stood next to Bucky.

“Yeah. I honestly thought all of you would pick up on it.” Bucky had said, his arms wrapped around Steve’s waist.

It was tooth-rotting cute and all but damn, Sam still really can’t _believe_.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve known each other since you two were…six?” Sam looks at them with an incredulous look, before taking a glance at Clint who’s looking at them the same exact way.

Sam is goddamn floored.

“Pretty much. Yeah…” Steve shrugs, taking a sip from his drink.

“We practically lived in each other’s pockets. Same school, same neighborhood…” Bucky starts, before looking at Steve fondly. “And this guy—“ He flicks Steve’s ear lightly with his fingers before continuing. “—was the most stubborn damn kid in the block.”

“Ain’t that right.” Sam nods, and Steve just rolls his eyes at him. Typical Steve.

“What was he like?” Clint asks, intrigued about Steve’s childhood. Sam hums in agreement. Bucky’s here…offering information about their friend…Sam is sure as hell not just gonna sit around and act like he doesn’t want to know all Steve’s dirty secrets.

“As I’ve said, he was stubborn. He still is.” Bucky says, smirking at Steve. Steve just punches Bucky on the arm before scoffing. “See? Still stubborn… But he’s my best friend. Nothing much really changed.”

“Come on, Barnes. We wanna know all the deets. Steve rarely talks about his personal life to us. Kinda makes me rethink about our friendship sometimes.” Sam says, sighing dramatically, before biting into his pizza. Steve tears a small piece of his breadstick before throwing it at Sam’s face. The son of a— “Hey!”

“You’re an ass.” Steve says, a small smile playing on his lips. “Buck’s not going to tell _anything_ to _anyone_. Not on my watch.”

“Oh come on!” Sam protests. “This is unfair!”

“Sorry, man… Husband’s orders.” Bucky chuckles, turning his head to face Steve with the dopey ass smile. Sam wants to throw up.

Sam and Clint groans, disappointed with the lack of information, yet again.

“Kill joy.” Sam mutters under his breath.

Then he notices Bucky reaching down the table and Sam _knows_ that he’s intertwining his hand with Steve now. Honestly. These two are disgustingly sweet, it’s making Sam want to jump off the nearest damn cliff. If Sam doesn’t know any better, he’d probably think these two are still two teenagers disgustingly in love.

These two are making Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams run for their money because this is some “The Notebook” lovesick shit right here.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: defrostedbuck  
> twitter: defrostedbucky


End file.
